That was the original plan, but I'm starting to get concerned about messing up these expensive new cars. And the 997 is a really nice elegant cab which both the wife and I love, so it could be one of those cars we keep for a decade and we want to preserve it. But I'll give your suggestion more thought.

Also, yes, the Evo and WRX are viable candidates, along with the good suggestions of the Miata, S2000, and Corvette.

BTW, your post about having reached intermediate status helped convince me that I need to find a way to start spending more time on the track soon.

 

Have to agree that taking a new cab out would not be my first choice. Lots of guys I track with have 996's and they can be had for mid 20's. Grab one; run it at the track for a year or so and when you lease runs out move to the GT3.

 

Here you go.

http://mazdaracers.com/classifieds/

Some friends of mine race them. I drove one once and it was a blast. The thing is, for me, when I track my 997, in the back of my mind I'm always concerned about going off. In the Mazda, it's just a non-issue. I mean, for what you'd pay for new tires on your 997 you can get a rebuilt engine for a Spec Miata.

 

Who makes roll bars for the 911 Cabriolet? I've looked every where and haven't found one. The places that advertise them upon your initial search, but when you contact them they say they won't fit a cab.

Thats why I bought a used 996 hardtop for $400. Super easy to install, recognized by PCA for use at DE events and warmer and quiter in winter.

 

im not sure but I have seen them at events.

Your hard top idea is even better.

 

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

Yes, if I wrecked a $10K car, I'd chalk it up as a life experience and move on. If I wrecked a new $100K+ car, I'd be crying for a long time. And my wife would be pissed, since we share the car.

 

1995 BMW E36, rear wheel drive, no computers, no gadgets, low price, great car to trash around the track.

 

Yes, these are pretty cheap now. I had an E36 M3 that I tracked about 10 years ago. Predictable handling, not too much power to hide your mistakes, and you can still drive the car to and from the track.

If you want to stick with Porsche, a used Cayman S would be great car to learn from.

 

Good suggestion. A used Elise can be found for under $30K, and it looks like a fun track car. Definitely on my list.

 

I thought of the M3 also. There's no E36 currently available locally, but I'll keep an eye out. I had an E36 convertible (328i) and thought it was one of the best handling cars I've ever owned - more raw and fun than the current 3 series - but a nightmare when it came to maintenance/repair cost.

 

What do you guys think of the 350Z? Pretty easy to find one in decent shape for $10K to $15K. I drove one several years ago, and I recall being impressed.

 

cost wise from cheapest to most expensive:

spec miata. 5 stars out of 5
bmw E36 based car, one with 3.2L engine, 317 horses. cheap to build, more power than miata, less fun to drive than miata
spec boxster. in order to be financially reasonable you`ll need to find a built car. keep in mind - those engines do blow.
'spec' 996 built from 996 street car, stripped, 3.6L m96 engine. with moderate amount of mods you get almost a real porsche car.
modded 997 street car - what i drive - moderate money, moderate performance, bad idea overall.
996 gt3 car - fits into $50K initial budget to buy, $15-20 K more to get a hell of a car out of it.
997 gt3, gt3 rs, 996 cup car - all about of $80K budget.

difficult to say where it fits - for $50K you can get 2009 z06 corvette, $20-$25K more will build a racer out of it, it is a hell of a platform, it can be potentially faster than 997 porsche cup car. probably will get closer to $100K to build it up properly.

 

Drive the Porsche! Spend the money on the TPC Turbo instead!

 

I'll sell you My Crossle Formula Ford, these are much faster and more fun to drive than any tin top.

It comes with spares, 4 sets of wheels, including new rains, yes we do race in the rain, trailer and too much stuff to list. This car can run 56's around Limerock, 107's around New Hampshire. Many wins throughout it's life including 5 championships, I hold track record at NEW Hampshire Motor Speedway for the class.

PM me if interested

 

it is not a track car. just do fair amount of DEs with PCA or NASA or SCCA in your car for now until you get signed off to solo (if you are not there yet) - by that time you will see plenty of what people drive on a track and will make your own opinion.

i totally agree - if you feel this hobby is serious for you - you need to have a decicated track car, stripped, with full cage and fire suppression system installed. if you plan on going into racing - think ahead of what class car you want to buy/build and look at what local competition/field you'll have as naturally it is no fun to drive alone.

also, be realistic of support costs - initial purchase price is nothing, it`s all about subsequent maintenance/support/logistics, etc. if you cannot spend more than $10K annually on this hobby - i would stay with miata or E36 based car only..